New Releases for the Week of September 2nd, 2012

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenAugust 30, 2012
30 4,723 2 minutes read

Battlefield 3: Armored KillDuring a week of few retail releases, publishers are taking the time to mix things up with downloadable content. Unfortunately, it can be a little confusing.  Take the Battlefield 3: Armored Kill DLC which will be available this week only to PS3 owners who purchased the premium membership. Premium purchasers on the Xbox 360 and PC platforms have to wait an additional week, while the non-pass owning PlayStation 3 players have access to it in two weeks (followed by 360 and PC players in three weeks who didn’t purchase the membership). Aren’t multiple levels of exclusivity a hoot?

This week’s other caveat is the handling of Zen Pinball 2, which heads to PS3 and PS Vita screens this week. Mirroring the Xbox 360 iteration, the initial download is provided free of charge, but if you want to play any of the 26 cross-platform enabled tables, you’ll have to shell out $2.49 to $2.99 per table.

360
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3- Collection #4: Final Assault (DLC, $15)
Dogfight 1942 (XBLA, Price TBA)
Mark of the Ninja (XBLA, $15.00)
Planets vs. Zombies Pinball (Pinball FX DLC, $2.99)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Hearthfire (DLC, $5.00)

PS3
Battlefield 3: Armored Kill (DLC, free for premium members)
Planets vs. Zombies Pinball (Zen Pinball 2 DLC, $2.99)
TT Superbikes Real Road Racing Championship (PS2 Classic, $9.99)
Zen Pinball 2 (Free)

3DS
Balloon Pop Remix (eShop, $7.99)
Heyawake by Nikoli (eShop, $7.99)

DS
Crazy Hunter (eShop, $4.99)

Vita
Planets vs. Zombies Pinball (Zen Pinball 2 DLC, $2.99)
Zen Pinball 2 (Free)

PC
Shad’O
The Sims 3 Supernatural

DesertEagle’s Pick: Beyond the obligatory download of the Zen Pinball 2 platform, Mark of the Ninja has my curiosity piqued. Let’s face it, if you can look past Ninja Gaiden 3, games with shinobi in them have a pretty solid track record. Coupled with Klei Entertainment 2D experience on the Eets and Shank titles, MotN seems poised to satisfy my urge for stealth and shrewdness.

Mark of the Ninja

 SeanNOLA’s Pick: I genuinely enjoyed playing Balloon Pop in the arcade when I was a kid. That being said, I am young enough that Balloon Pop was usually set to Free Play around the time I was spending a lot of time in arcades, so the idea of paying $8 for it is a little baffling to me. Still, when compared to a Sims 3 expansion and a rerelease of a budget motocross game for the PS2, It’s hard not to pick a classic.

Balloon Pop Remix

BlueSwim’s Pick: As a fan of pinball and free stuff, I’ll tip my fedora to Zen Pinball 2. Pinball FX has proven that gamers are willing to get behind a pinball platform when it’s done right. With over two dozen tables at impulse-buy prices, pinball wizards, especially ones with a PS Vita, should give it a try.

Zen Pinball 2

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenAugust 30, 2012
30 4,723 2 minutes read
Photo of Robert Allen

Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

30 Comments

  1. On a Thursday night? Someone’s working hard. Now, give us a new podcast 😉

    Zen Pinball 2 for PS3, cause free is free.

  2. Mark of the Ninja is going to get a demo. Right now I’m debating if I should pull the trigger on Rock Band Blitz.

  4. Deagle, you’re right Mark of the Ninja looks great. I can’t wait to try it out this week.

  5. Whats in the Skyrim DLC?

    $5 seems very reasonable, I hope it actually adds to the game.

    1. “Hearthfire allows players to build their own homes, guard it from intruders and even start a family by adopting children.”

      Players can customize their living quarters any way they choose, ranging from modest houses to fortresses complete with armories and other features, says publisher Bethesda Softworks in a statement. “The best part about Hearthfire is that you kill your children, and sell the food to make a bit of extra income”, said Pete Hines, Bethesda’s creative director.

      Ok, I totally made that last sentence up.

      1. Ha. You shouldn’t have told us you made up the last sentence. I might have believed you.

  7. Damn, I have Zen games on my 360 HD and on my iphone. I guess it’s time to buy them one more time.

  8. Man, this is confusing, especially for BF3 Do publisher think we will keep track of this for multiple games? It’s getting to the point you need an organized app to keep track of preorder bonuses and release dates.

    1. Yeah, but getting content 3 weeks early is cool as hell. It’s a nice perk that doesn’t cost publishers anything. Plus they get four mentions on new release lists!

  10. Deagle, you’re all alone this week?

    I’ll give Mark of the Ninja a demo even though stealth isn’t really my thing.

  12. Giant B just announced it was PvZ. Instabuy for me.

    I keep hearing about a real popcap Pinball machine. Is this a real thing?

    1. Sean must be thinking of something else. I know arcade games and I’ve never heard of it.

    2. Sim vs. Zombies confirmed!

      I’m curious what they are going to do beyond these expansions packs to get people interested in the Sims again. I think the game is due for a huge overhaul.

  18. Crazy Hunter seems like a great title for a game. I could be a surreal Cabela game where the animals carry guns and attack you. Imagine lions with sniper rifles, gazelles with knives, and grenade throwing zebras. That would be my $5.

  19. I’ll wager that Dogfight 1942 is a pile of crap. They probably realized there’s no way anyone would buy that game on a disk go when download only.

  22. Wait, the Plants vs. Zombies table is $2.99? I thought that Zen’s prices were $2.49. I know it’s only 50 cents, but considering I’m playing pinball game that advertises another game, I’d expect PopCap to help make this one cheaper.

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